I'm a Witch?
by Kitriana
Summary: Muggle-born Elaina Cartwright discovers she's a witch. Now she's on her way to Hogwarts to make new friends and learn to harness the magic she was born to use.
1. The Letter Arrives

She was the daughter of two well-to-do parents who did not lack for much, and so she did not lack for much. She went to the best local school, wore the best clothing, and had some of the best toys. But she was unhappy. She had only a few friends, but was generally uncomfortable around other children.

You see, Elaina Cartwright knew she was different from the children she went to school with. Her parents had just put it all down to the imagination of youngsters, but Elaina couldn't be convinced of that. She had woken to hear objects fall to the floor around her, seen tiny fires start during fits of anger, and had even watched plants wilt around her when she was particularly upset. So it came as no surprised to her that something strange happened once more on her eleventh birthday in early October.

A letter had appeared on the doorstep of her home. The envelope was made of a thick parchment, and her address had been written in what Elaina thought was very beautiful penmanship. She brought it to her parents, who looked at it with interest. They sat around the dining table to open it, thinking it some elegant party invitation, and were quite surprised by what they read.

Elaina's mother phoned her parents, asking if they had ever seen anything of its kind before. When they claimed no knowledge, her father did the same. It was a mystery to them. No one in their immediate family knew what the letter could mean, but the Cartwrights did the best they could to deal with the letter. When summer arrived, they went to her school and filled out the proper paperwork. They were baffled as to how they could get her the materials required – books, supplies. Most of it made no sense to them at all.

It wasn't until they were out on the streets of London with the letter in their hands that they finally ran into the answer… literally. Elaina bumped into a giant of a man, who muttered an apology through his great, bushy beard, and was about to move on until he saw the letter, nearly crumpled in Elaina's hands. "Well, now, do yeh be needin' some help, little miss?" he asked kindly, smiling down at her. "I'm on me way to run some errands righ' now, but I can take yeh where yeh need t' go. Hogwarts is a grand place. I'm sure yeh'll like it jus' fine."

Elaina beamed up at him, while her parents stood behind her, a hand on either shoulder. "That would be very gracious of you," said her mother. "Isn't that right, darling?"

"Yes, mum. I can't wait!" said the young girl, who seemed to have no problems with the man's size, although she could tell her parents were a trifle nervous.

The giant of a man kept smiling, holding out his hand. "Me name's Hagrid. Jus' follow me an' I'll take yeh to the place. Diagon Alley is what it's called."

Her parents each took turns shaking the proffered hand, while Elaina looked on at his umbrella with curious eyes. It was a battered and dirty pink, with a wooden tip that was worn and beaten, looking as if it had seen better days. The giant man was wielding it like a cane, or perhaps a sword. He took notice of her attention, and leaned over, smiling and giving her a wink with one beetle-black eye.

She giggled and grinned some more. "Diagon Alley. It sounds funny. Like a direction!" she said, nodding. "But only if you say it fast. Try it, mum!" she said, proud of her discovery. Her mother humored Elaina and did as she was asked, surprised when she found out that the young girl was right.

The man called Hagrid chuckled, a sound that seemed to rumble from deep within his tree-trunk of a torso. "Well, then, let's be off. Lots to do," he said, and gestured for the family to follow him. They obediently followed, with young Elaina giggling at how the crowds of people on the London streets parted to allow the big man through. Eventually they came to a, one that the young girl was sure she had seen before. Only this time, there was something different about it. A wooden sign with the words 'The Leaky Cauldron' written on it swung above an ancient-looking wooden doorway. The pub seemed to be squeezed in between a book shop and a record store, and was very out of place. It was here that Hagrid took them, ushering them inside.

"Hallo, Tom!" he said, waving to the man at the bar, who paused in his dusting of the counter to wave back.

"If yeh'll jus' follow me a bit more," said Hagrid. He led them through the pub, winding around tables and stopping occasionally to greet friends. They arrived at what appeared to be a dead end. A brick wall stood, as if daring them to try and go through. Hagrid muttered something, and turned to go back inside for a moment. He was gone less than a minute, and Elaina watched as he tapped his umbrella against the brick.

Then something amazing happened. As she watched, the bricks began to slide away, seeming to collapse in on each other, until there was an entryway that showed her the most wonderful sight of all. She knew, without a doubt, that they had reached the Diagon Alley that Hagrid had indicated they would need to go. Stacks of cauldrons, shops full of robes and animals and all sorts of things seemed to crowd the busy street. A giant building, gleaming white, stood at the end, barely visible.

"Excuse me, Mister Hagrid, but what's that?" she asked, pointing toward the large building.

"Ah, that's Gringotts, the wizard bank. And I s'pose yeh'll be needin' t' go there, what with yeh havin' Muggle money and all. Yeh'll be wantin' to exchange that for proper coin." He led them through the door, and Elaina looked wide-eyed at the small humanoid that stood in the doorway, bowing them through. Hagrid leaned over and whispered in her ear, the sound more like a rumble than anything. "That's there is a goblin. They run th' bank, and can be awful nasty. Wouldn't want t' get on their bad side."

He took them to a goblin with wire-rimmed glasses and a smart business suit, whose expression seemed almost bored as he looked them over. "They'll be wantin' to exchange Muggle money," said Hagrid, gesturing to the family.

Elaina's father stepped forward, nodding politely to both Hagrid and the goblin. "We, uh… we aren't sure how this is supposed to work," he said, a little nervously. While he was proud of his daughter, the entire idea was still rather new to the whole family, and it seemed they were being hit with so much at once that it was… overwhelming.

The goblin gave them a thin-lipped smile. "It is no problem at all. Gold coins are Galleons, silver are Sickles, and bronze are Knuts." He pulled out a chart that showed what the coins meant in Muggle currency, which had Elaina's father nodding slightly as he did some calculations. Every single pound he had on him went into the goblin's hands, and half of what her mother carried, as well. By the time their teller was through, she had a large bag full of Galleons, and two smaller bags, one with Sickles and one with Knuts.

Hagrid beamed down at them all. "That'll take of yeh, then. I'm runnin' a wee bit behind, so I'll jus' leave yeh here t' do the shoppin'." He waved and made his way out of the pearly white building, disappearing back down the street.

Elaina watched him go for as long as she could, before she finally looked down once more at the letter she'd been given. Now that she had the proper money and was in the appropriate location, it was time to go shopping for her school supplies. She looked up at her parents, smiling broadly at them, and they, relaxing, smiled back. This would be great fun.


	2. Diagon Alley

First on the list was the clothing she would be required to wear. Elaina remembered seeing something akin to what was on the list as Hagrid had brought them down the way to Gringotts. She tugged on her mother's skirt to get her attention and silently pointed at the list. "Well, now, let's see here," said her mother, Alexandria. Elaina thought her mother's name was rather pretty. "Robes, gloves, cloak. It all seems reasonable enough. I suppose there will be a uniform, as well, don't you dear?" she asked her husband, Conal.

Conal looked over the list with a knowing eye. "Yes, yes. Of course there will be a uniform. Something for under the robes, I imagine. If you'll look, dear, there's plenty of robed people around here, and they've all got something on beneath them. Besides, it's only proper to wear a uniform."

Elaina sighed inwardly. She knew all about uniforms. The schools she'd gone to up to this point had required her to wear overly starched, tailored uniforms that made her itch. She hoped the uniforms for Hogwarts would be better. When her mother placed a hand on her shoulder, Elaina looked up to see the woman's gentle smile. "Are you sure you're okay with this, darling?" asked Alexandria.

"Of course, mum," said Elaina, smiling brightly. "It's just so confusing, that's all. I don't know where to begin!" She looked at the letter again, one finger delicately tracing each individual character. She turned deep green eyes upward, to take a good look at her parents. Alexandria's short, light brown hair was slightly mussed, her dark brown eyes hinting at the worry that she felt deep down, though the smile that graced her features belied what she really felt. Her father, with his shock of red hair and bright green eyes, held no trace of the worry. Clearly Conal Cartwright thought nothing of what was happening. Then again, her father had always loved strange things, and this could certainly count among the unusual.

Elaina sighed again before turning her gaze about, looking at all the shops surrounding her. There was a bookstore, she could see, though from the angle she was at, its name presently eluded her. A shop with cauldrons and potion ingredients cluttered the area near where they'd entered. She could see a gloomy-looking shop, the paint peeling and curling away from the storefront as if trying to escape. She wasn't certain she would want to go into that store, but Elaina had a sinking feeling that she would need to.

Before then, however, she wanted to get the rest of her supplies. She spotted Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, right by the bookshop. The young girl entered the store tentatively, her parents following, and was greeted by a squat woman whom Elaina could only assume was Madam Malkin. "Here for your school robes are you?" asked the witch, smiling at the young girl.

"Yes'm, I am," came her shy response. She felt a strong hand on her shoulder, glanced over and up to the figure of her father, who smiled at her. She smiled back, and straightened up, feeling a bit better about herself.

"Well, you're just in time. Come on to the back, then, young lady, and we'll get you fitted up nice and proper." Madam Malkin busied herself, leading young Elaina to the back, where she slipped a robe on over her head and began to pin the cloth so that it wouldn't trip up the girl.

While they were in back, newcomers came into the store. Elaina could hear adult voices, which her parents responded to, and a moment later, she saw a girl with severely bushy hair who had to have been about her age. She smiled at the girl while the elderly witch went to retrieve another robe to fit the newcomer. "Hello," said Elaina shyly. "Are you going to Hogwarts, too, then?" she asked.

The other girl smiled at her, showing off two front teeth that were slightly larger than the rest. "Yes, I am. Isn't it so exciting?" she asked. "I'm Hermione, by the way. Hermione Granger. My parents are a bit nervous, actually, this being our first experience with this sort of thing."

"You mean your parents weren't… um… witches or wizards, either?" asked Elaina, instantly feeling better. "And I'm Elaina Cartwright. This is our first experience, too. My mother's oh-so-nervous," she said. "But dad seems to be taking it well."

"Oh, yes," said Hermione knowingly. "My family hasn't a clue where this all came from. They're happy that I'll be doing something new and interesting, but I don't think they quite understand what it's all about. Say, Elaina! Since we're both from, well, normal families, would you like to join up and go shopping for our supplies together? It would be wonderful! Then we mightn't feel so silly about making mistakes."

Elaina smiled her first true smile. "I think that would be grand." She had to subside their chatter when Madam Malkin came back to remove the robe, taking it away where, she presumed, two more would be tailored in the same manner. The squat witch began to work on Hermione next, and Elaina wandered up to the front, where she met Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were as delighted as her own parents at the prospect of shopping as a group.

They all waited around until Hermione finally came out, heaving an exaggerated sigh of relief. Elaina giggled at her new acquaintance. They stood apart from their parents, who were having their own little discussion, and talked about their hobbies. To Elaina's delight, Hermione loved to read, and they spent a great deal of time talking about the books they enjoyed. Once their clothes were packaged, paid for, and in hand, the girls left Madam Malkin's, heading directly next door for their school books.

Here each set of parents exchanged knowing glances with each other and stood aside to let their daughters browse. The school books themselves were easy to find, and they each retrieved a copy of what their list told them they needed, elated at how thick some of them appeared to be. The fathers each took their daughter's stack to allow the girls to peruse the books not required for school.

Hermione exclaimed over books that included the entire history of the magical world. She picked them all up, showing them triumphantly to Elaina, who politely asked if she could borrow them when Hermione was done. A book about plants caught Elaina's eye. She picked it up and began to thumb through it, her lips moving slightly as she read. She clutched the book to her and began to look some more, locating two more books about plants, one of which entirely medicinal. These, plus two other books – a guide to the magical world and a book of medical spells – were added to the stack of school books. Hermione seemed to have finished, and her much larger stack threatened to fall onto the floor.

Elaina shook her head slightly, smiling. They paid for their books and went in search of the rest of their supplies. Cauldrons, phials, telescopes, and scales were all found readily enough. Now that they had taken care of that, they turned their attention to the last major thing on their list – wands.


	3. Where the Wand Chooses the Witch

Elaina, Hermione at her side, approached the gloomy-looking shop front identified as Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 3

Elaina, Hermione at her side, approached the gloomy-looking shop front identified as Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 392 B.C., where they would be able to locate and receive their wands. Hermione stumbled beside the younger girl a few times, her nose buried in a book. "Hey, listen to this, 'laina," she said, chirping brightly. "I found something about wands! They say there's only a few really magical woods that are suitable for wand-making, and that some cores are better for certain things, like defense against magic or transfiguration. And it says here that the wand chooses the wizard – or witch, in our case – and not the other way 'round. I wonder what that means…"

A small giggle came from Elaina's lips and she grinned, putting her hand on the top of the book and pushing it down. "I think maybe you should put the book away so we can find out." She pointed toward their destination, which now stood only a few feet in front of them.

Their parents drew up behind them, and all six stood and looked at the decrepit old building, noting the peeling gold paint on the lettering and the rather lackluster appearance to it. The windows were grimy, and Elaina could denote small cracks in their surfaces, as if the glass had neared the end of its life. She personally thought it was high time to replace the glass, but she rather thought there was probably some sort of magical spell keeping it in as much shape as it was in.

In fact, she rather thought there might be magical spells that would help the store's appearance quite a lot, but she had the idea that the shopkeeper might want the store front to look as old as it did. It may not have given the shop a stately air, but it certainly made it seem ancient and grounded.

She opened the creaking door and stepped inside, hearing a faint tinkling bell. This sound seemed to trigger Elaina's immediate sneeze at the amount of dust that had settled everywhere. Two more sneezes followed, and Hermione gave her a pitying glance. A single rickety chair sat beneath the window, its velvet-covered cushion dusty and faded. Sunlight came in through small pockets of clear glass, catching on the dust particles that seemed to hang motionless in the air. On the windowsill stood a cushion that once might have been a beautiful shade of purple, but now was faded to where it rather resembled the color of a bruise.

Elaina held a finger just under her nose, her eyes squinting slightly as she fought back another sneeze. Finally, the urge gone, she gave a small sigh of relief. Hermione had begun to move toward the chair, before she raised an eyebrow at its condition and backed away. She gave it a one-shouldered shrug in a sort of 'never mind' gesture before moving to stand beside her new friend.

They peered into the back of the store, their eyes widening as they saw boxes upon boxes stacked in orderly rows and piles, the topmost boxes brushing the ceiling and gathering cobwebs. Elaina felt decidedly nervous, and she began shifting from one foot to the next. No longer able to stand the wait, she opened her mouth, prepared to call out, when an old man seemed to separate himself from the shadows at the back of the store. He had eyes that seemed to shine like moonlight, and she found herself both drawn by the power she could sense lurking in their depths, and at the same time pushed away by fear of that power.

Mr. Ollivander smiled at her. "You've come for your wands," he said, not a question at all. "Well, now, hold out your wand arms, please." When they flashed him a confused look, he smiled a thin little smile. "Ah, I see. You were both Muggle-born, yes? Your primary hands, young misses."

Elaina was the first to comply, holding out her right arm. Mr. Ollivander pulled a tape measure out of his pocket and began to measure. The distance from her shoulder to fingertips, elbow down to her wrist, from her knee to the armpit, shoulder to floor, and even around her head were measured, though some of these she couldn't quite understand the necessity behind.

When she realized that Mr. Ollivander wasn't even holding the tape measure, she gave it the most withering glare an eleven-year-old could summon. The store owner seemed to sense this, and he took the tape measure away, chastising it for bothering the young lady. He went back to the boxes and began to look through them. She could hear the elderly man muttering to himself as he selected a box and brought it up to her. "Here, try this one. Rowan and dragon heartstring. Eleven inches. Sturdy. Give it a wave, then. Just a little swish."

Elaina did as told, but felt a curious sense of disappointment. Nothing happened, and Mr. Ollivander took the wand away almost immediately, muttering all the same. He placed the wand on the cushion in the windowsill, clicking his tongue all the while. Once more he disappeared into the back, bringing forth yet another box, which he opened, presenting the wand to her. "Mahogany and unicorn hair. Fourteen inches. Quite supple."

She took this wand, as well, and smiled as a warm feeling seemed to crawl up her arm, spreading through her body. She gave the wand a wave and was rewarded by a gentle light that caused a small rosebush to grow from the floor. Hermione clapped her hands, beaming at Elaina.

Elaina paid the seven gold Galleons for the wand, gravely taking the wand and its velvet-lined box, cradling it to her like a doll. She stepped back and watched Hermione go through a similar routine. It took the other girl a few tries until she finally ended up with her wand – vine wood and dragon heartstring – which was paid for. The pair left the shop, elated with their wands, though the elation was somewhat dulled by the rather eerie tone that they felt within the shop.

Now that their shopping had been completed, the two families went back to The Leaky Cauldron, though they had to stop and ask directions on not only how to get back to the tavern and inn, but also what to do in order to return to Diagon Alley. Elaina and Hermione memorized the instructions as they followed their parents.

Once inside, they settled down at a large table and ordered food, chatting over their day and their experiences. The group was given a wide berth and several strange glances, which Elaina and Hermione did not notice, as they were too occupied either eating or reading from a book that sat between them. They learned what the term 'Muggle' meant, and how to get onto the train platform at King's Cross station that would take them to Hogwarts.

By the time the families had finished supper, it was very late, so they got rooms for the night and agreed to meet up at the station on the first of September. At some point during their shopping, the fathers had purchased the girls' tickets for the train, and these were tucked away into their wand boxes. Finally, they all bade each other good night, the parents each going to their separate rooms, while Elaina and Hermione went to the room they were to share.

Elaina exchanged her address and telephone number with Hermione, promising to call or write as often as she could before school began. This information went into their wand boxes alongside their tickets. Although the girls were tired, they stayed up far into the night, reading and discussing what they had read, learning as much as they could about the school and each other before they had to go their separate ways. Eventually, they fell asleep, books open on the beds.


End file.
